Bending and kinking hand tool



April 1, 1958 H. R. PETERSON I BENDING AND KINKING HAND TOOL Filed Sept. 5, 1956 g 111415141? Pelerson/ Claims. (Cl. 81-45) This invention relates to a hand tool, and more particularly, to a hand tool for bending wire and the like.

The tool of this invention is in part similar in structure and in operation to the tool in the pending application of Harold R. Peterson, Serial No. 583,153, filed May 7, 1956. The tool described herein embodies a number of improvements over the tool in the pending application and also incorporates a new feature not found in the pending application. It is noted that the tool in the pending application was adapted to provide an approximately 180 degree bend in the end of a wire or rod member. As such bent wire members are often used in certain applications while disposed within a cylindrical tube, a problem arises as a result of the rather loose fit of the wire members in the tubes and the resultant shifting of the Wire members within the tubes. To solve this problem, it has been found that forming a kink in the Wire member spaced from the bent end thereof by two spaced apart slight bends in opposite directions places the length of wire in offset but parallel relation to the bend and tends to stabilize the bent wire member in such a cylindrical tube.

It is, thus, the general object of this invention to provide a new and improved wire bending tool which is adapted to provide both the erid bend and the kink or double bend in a wire or rod member.

One object of this invention is to provide a new and improved wire bending tool which may provide a smooth, even bend in a wire up to approximately 180 degrees at any distance from the end of the wire.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a tool, including a first lever member having a handle portion at one end and a pair of bending dies mounted in spaced relation to each other at the other end, a wire receiving member pivotably mounted on said first lever member midway between the two bending dies and having wire receiving recesses formed in the sides adjacent each end of the wire receiving member, an arm secured to said wire receiving member for pivoting the Wire receiving member from a first position wherein it receives a straight wire to be bent to a second position wherein the wire is bent by one of the bending dies back over the wire receiving member to provide an approximately 180 degree bend therein, and a T-shaped member spaced from the bending die at the end of the first lever member adapted in a subsequent operation to restrain an end of a wire so that when the wire receiving member is pivoted from the first position to a third position intermediate the first and second positions a double bend or kink is formed in the wire to ofiset the length of wire from the bent end.

A more detailed object of this invention is to provide such a bending tool wherein the bending dies each have a plurality of annular grooves varying in size, and wherein the wire receiving recesses formed in the wire receiving member are open sided and formed one on each side adjacent the ends of the wire receiving member and 2,828,656 Patented Apr. 1, 195 8 sized to coact with the cooperating annular groove in performing a wire bending operation at any distance from the end of the wire.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred'embodiment of the tool with the handle members pivoted apart in their wire receiving position and showing a straight Wire positioned in one of the wire receiving recesses in the wire receiving member; p Fig. 2 is a view taken generally alongline of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view with the two lever members pivoted together and showing the wire bent approximately degrees; I

Fig. 4 is a view taken generally along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and v Fig. 5 is a side elevational view showing the handle members pivoted to an intermediate position and showing the T-s'haped member in its operative positiori 'and a kink or double bend formed in the wire resulting from the use of the T-shaped member.

While the invention is herein described in a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the iiiveiition to the specific form and arrangement shown, it being contemplated that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings there is shown a wire bending tool including arpair of handle members 11 and 12. The handle or lever member 11 may be formed by bending an elongated bar member approximately 180 degrees to form a pair of spaced parallel arms 13 and 14, best shown in Fig. 4, with the bent end 15. The handle member 12 comprises -a rod 16 having a handle portion and having one end 17 secured in a bore 19 in a wire receiving or holding member 18.

Handle members 11 and 12 are pivotally connected together by a bolt and nut device 20 extending through the wire receiving member 18 of handle member 12 and the arms 13 and 14 of the lever member 11. The wire receiving member 18 comprises tWo relatively'short arms 21 and 22 extending in opposite directions from the bolt and nut device 20., At each side adjacent the end of each of the arms 21 and 22, there is formed an opensided wire receiving recess extending the width of the Wire receiving member 18. Each of these'wire receiving recesses is of a difierent size as indicated at a, b, 0, and d and is formed with a curved bottom and of a depth to entirely receive a wire therein. These recesses enable use of the tool to place a bend in the wire at any distance from the end of the Wire. The recesses are angled with respect to the length of the arms so as to extend parallel to the angled ends of the arms.

In order to bend a wire received in one of the recesses in the wire receiving member 18, a pair of wire beh'ding dies 24 and 25 are rotatably mounted between the arms 13 and 14 of lever member 11 by means of pins '26 and 27 and 28 and 29, respectively, formed on the ends of the dies, which pins fit rotatably in openings in the arms 13 and 14. The bending dies 24 and 25 are spacedon opposite sides of the pivotal mounting for the wire receiving member 18 at a distance therefrom such that the dies 24 and 25 will be engaged by the ends of the arms 21 and 22, respectively, when the wire receiving ber 13 is pivoted to a limit position g'e ner'ally parallel to the lever 11. As best shown in Fig. 4, each of the bending dies 24 and 25 has an annular groove termed at each end thereof. These grooves are identified by a b 0 and d and are disposed so as to be in alignment with the corresponding wire receiving recesses a, b, c, and d and correspond in size thereto so as to handle a size of wire properly received in one of the recesses As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a T-shaped member '30 which is utilized only when it is desired to provide a kink or double bend in the wire, is carried on the bending die 25. The T-shaped member 30 includes a shank portion 31 and a cross bar 32 and it is noted that the member 30 may be pivoted from an out-ot-way position (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) between the arms 13 and 14 to an operative position (Fig. 5) extending generally normal to the lever member 11.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the operation of this tool will be described for providing a 180 degree bend in a straight wire or length of rod 33, having a diameter so as to fit within the recess a. The handle members 11 and 12 are first pivoted apart to a first position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The wire 33 is then inserted in the recess a so as to extend generally parallel to the lever 11 and over the corresponding groove :1 on the bending die 24. The handle portions of the handle members 11 and 12 are then pivoted together towards a second position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 so that the groove 4: on the die 24 engages the wire 33 and bends it back over the wire receiving member 18, thus providing approximately a 180 degree bend in the wire 33. The handle portions of the handle members 11 and 12 are then pivoted apart and the bent wire 33 is removed from the wire receiving member 18.

It is noted that the force supplied to the wire 33 by the die 24 is a generally transverse force Which initially shifts along the wire 33 toward the receiving member 18 and then at a certain point in the bend shifts back toward the initial point of contact.

The final bending force is applied to the Wire 33 while the bending die 24 is moving generally parallel to the end of the wire receiving head 18 and somewhat beyond center (Fig. 3) to force the wire against the end of the head 18 and, thus, provide a full 180 degree bend in the wire 33.

In order to provide the most desirable bend in the wire 33, the outer ends of the recesses a, b, c and d and the portion of the wire receiving member 18 about which the wire is bent are rounded. As the handle members 11 and 12 are relatively long, very little force is needed to provide the desired bend in a rather stilt wire or rod member.

It is believed evident without further discussion that the same operation of the handle members will result in the bending of a wire placed in either the recess or d with the bending force being applied in this in stance by the bending die 25.

When it is desired to provide a kink or double bend 36 in the wire 33, the T-shaped member 30 is pivoted to its operable position (Fig. generally normal to the lever member 11. The handle members 11 and 12 are then pivoted to their first position, as shown in Fig. l, and a straight wire, which may have a 180 degree bend at the end, is disposed in the recess a with a right-hand end 34 of the wire 33 extending across or resting in the groove a in the bending die 24 and a left-hand end 35 of the wire 33 being retained under the cross bar 32 of the T-shaped member 30 with the 180 bend underneath. The handle members 11 and 12 are then pivoted toward each other to a third position, shown in Fig. 5, which is intermediate the first and second positions shown respectively in Figs. 1 and 3. This third position is generally determined by the operator of the tool when the left-hand portion 35 of the wire 33 and the right-hand portion 34 which extend in opposite directions from the kink or double bend 36 are in a generally parallel relationship.

In this kinking operation, it is noted that the usual transverse force is applied to the right-hand end 34 of the wire 33 by the bending die 24 while an opposite 4 and substantially equal transverse force is applied to the left-hand end 35 of the wire 33 by the cross bar 32 of the T-shaped member 30. With the intermediate portion of the wire 33 being held in the recess a, these two transverse forces provide the double bend or kink 36 in the wire 33 with the kinks at X and Y.

I claim:

1. A wire bending tool comprising; a first lever member having a wire receiving member at one end and having a handle portion at the other end, said member having a pair of wire receiving recesses formed thereon of diiferent sizes, a second lever member having a handle portion, a bending die mounted on the end of said second lever member remote from the handle portion and having a pair of annular grooves formed thereon correspond ing in size to said pair of recesses, means for pivotably mounting the wire receiving member of said first lever member on the second lever member adjacent the bend ing die so that pivoting said two lever members together with a straight wire positioned in one of said recesses and extending across said bending die will bend the wire over said wire receiving member, and a T-shaped mem ber pivotally mounted on said second lever member spaced from said pivotable mounting means for said wire receiving member and on the side opposite trom said bending die, said T-shaped member being adapted to re strain one end of a wire to be bent so that pivotable movement of said two lever members less than said first pivotable movement will form a double bend in the wire.

2. A bending tool comprising; a pair of levers pivotably connected together adjacent one end of each so that the longer portions of said levers act as handles, a wire re ceiving member forming one end of one of said levers and having a recess adapted to receive a wire to be bent, a forming die carried on said one end of the other of said levers and having a groove corresponding in size to said recess, and a T-shaped member pivotally mounted on said other lever, said T-shaped member and said die being on opposite sides of said wire receiving member so that a straight wire disposed in said recess will be engaged in two spaced apart areas by said die and by said T-shaped member to exert opposite transverse forces on the wire and provide a kink tbereinupon relative movement of said handles.

3. A bending tool comprising; a first lever having a pair of spaced parallel arms including a handle portion, a pair of die members mounted between said parallel arms each of which has a pair of annular grooves formed thereon, a wire receiving member having angled ends and a series of open sided recesses formed thereon correspending in size to said annular grooves formed on said die members, a pair of said recesses being formed adjacent each end of said wire receiving member and extending parallel to the adjacent end, means for pivotably mounting said wire receiving member between said parallel arms and spaced midway between said pair of bending dies, an arm connected to said wire receiving member forming another handle portion, said wire receiving member being positioned when a straight wire is disposed in one of said recesses so as to cause the wire to extend across the groove in the corresponding die member so that when the two handle portions are moved toward each other the suitable die member moves toward the wire receiving member and bends the wire back over the angled end of said wire receiving member to provide an approximately degree bend therein with the bending die exerting a transverse force which shifts along the wire, and a selectively movable T-shaped member pivoted on one of said die members adapted when positioned transversely to the first lever member to restrain the end of the wire not engaged by the bending die so as to provide a double bend in the wire when the two handles are pivoted toward each other a lesser degree than when forming the 180 degree bend in the wire.

4, A wire bending tool comprising; a pair of levers aeaasse having handle portions, means for pivotably interconnecting the levers near one end of each, means on one of said levers for receiving a wire to be bent, and a pair of cooperating means on the other lever spaced on opposite sides of said wire receiving means adapted to form a double bend in the wire when the two levers are pivoted toward each other, said two cooperating means exerting opposite transverse forces on spaced areas of the wire.

5. A bending tool comprising; a pair of members pivotably connected together so as to provide relatively long handle portions and relatively short arms on the opposite side of the pivoted connection from the handle portions, means for bending a wire when the two handle portions are pivoted toward each other including a wire receiving member forming one of the short arms and a bending member on the other short lever arm, means defining a rounded wire engaging surface on thebending member, means defining a rounded longitudinally extending recess on one side of the wire receiving member and having one longitudinal side open for ease in disposing a wire to be bent therein and in longitudinal alignment with said wire engaging surface, a wire disposed in said receiving member being engaged by said bending member when the two members are pivoted toward each other with said bending member exerting a transverse force on the wire to form a bend therein.

6. A wire bending tool comprising; a first die member having at least one groove formed thereon, a second die member having at least one groove formed thereon, said die members being mounted in spaced relation toward one end of a first enlongated handle member, a wire receiving member having at least two recess means corresponding in size to said grooves for receiving a straight wire to be bent, said recess means being open longitudinal side recesses formed at least one at each end of the wire receiving member, means for pivotably connecting said receiving member at the center to said first handle member midway between said two die members so that in pivoting said receiving member with respect to said die members one end of a straight wire disposed in one of said recess means engages the corresponding die groove and is bent against said receiving member to form up to a 180 bend therein, and a second handle member connected to said wire receiving member to facilitate pivoting of said receiving member on said first handle member toward said die members.

7. A wire bending tool comprising; an elongated member having a relatively long handle portion and a pair of spaced bending dies mounted on the elongated member remote from the handle portion and each having at least one wire engaging surface formed thereon, a wire holding member pivotably mounted on said member intermediate said bending dies and having a pair of arms extending in opposite directions, each of said arms having at least one end sided recess adapted for receiving a wire to be bent, a T-shaped member mounted on said member and adapted to be pivotable to an operable position generally normal to the elongated member wherein a straight wire positioned in a recess in a first position of said wire holding member has one section engaging the wire engaging surface of one of the bending dies and another section engaging a cross bar of said T-shaped member, said wire holding member being pivoted from this first position to a second position wherein said sections of the wire are in parallel relationship with a double bend extending therebetween, and a relatively long handle member hav-- ing one end secured to said wire holding member, said handle member being adapted to facilitate pivoting said holding member relative to said bending die.

8. A bending tool comprising; a first elongated member, a bending die having a groove formed thereon and carried on one end of said first member, a wire receiving member pivotably mounted on said first member and spaced from said bending die, means defining an open sided recess in the side of said wire receiving member and extending the width of said member, a T-shaped member pivotable to extend transversely from said first member and spaced from said bending die a further distance than said wire receiving member, a second elongated member secured to said wire receiving member for pivoting said wire receiving member from a first position wherein a straight wire positioned in said recess has one section resting in said groove and another section disposed against the lower edge of a cross bar of said T-shaped member to a second position closer to the bending die wherein a double bend offset is formed in the wire with the two sections of the wire extending in parallel relation, said bending die and said cross bar exerting opposite transverse forces on their engaged sections of the wire.

9. A bending tool comprising; an elongated lever, a bending die carried on one end of said lever and having a pair of grooves formed thereon of ditferent sizes, a wire receiving member pivotably mounted on said lever and having an open sided wire receiving recess formed on each side thereof of a size to receive a section of a wire and each in alignment with one of said grooves, an arm secured to said wire receiving member for pivoting said wire receiving member from a first position substantially transverse to said lever wherein a straight wire to be bent is positioned in one of the recesses with a length of the wire resting in the appropriate groove in the bending die to a second position substantially parallel to the lever and closely adjacent the bending die, whereupon the wire is bent back over the wire receiving member, the bending force applied to the wire by the die being a transverse force which shifts initially along the wire toward the wire receiving member and then back toward its initial point of contact.

10. A bending tool comprising; an elongated lever member having an end of the lever acting as a handle, a first bending die rotatably mounted on the lever member remote from the handle and having a pair of annular grooves of different sizes formed one on each end thereof, a second bending die rotatably mounted on the lever member spaced from said first bending die and having a pair of annular grooves of still different sizes formed one on each end thereof, a wire receiving member pivotably mounted on the lever member midway between said bending dies and having a pair of short arms with angled ends pivotable into engagement one with each of said bending dies, means defining wire receiving open sided recesses formed one in each side adjacent each end of said wire receiving member and extending parallel to the adjacent end, said recesses being positioned in alignment one with each of said grooves and each recess corresponding in size to the annular groove with which it is aligned, said wire receiving member when positioned substantially transverse to said lever member adapted to receive a section of a wire to be bent with the wire extending across the corresponding annular groove, an arm secured to said wire receiving member, said lever member and said arm adapted to be pivoted toward each other so that the wire positioned in said wire receiving member is bent back over an angled end of the wire receiving member to form an approximately bend in the wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,849 Permar Apr. 9, 1918 1,354,448 Walt Sept. 28, 1920 2,171,907 Beehler et al. Sept. 5, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 158,554 Germany Mar. 3, 1905 259,126 Great Britain Oct. 7, 1926 463,504 Germany Aug. 1, 1928 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 2,828,656 Harold R. Peterson April 1, 1958 It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Let cers Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 5, line 56, for 'end" read open o Signed and sealed this 17th day of June 1958.

(SEAL) At'fiest:

KARL H AXLINE ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting Officer Cbnmissioner of Patents 

